LCD Soundsystem's five most telling videos

This week marks the release of the much-anticipated LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up And Play The Hits. The film plays out partly as a document of their final show, but offers insights aplenty into the mind of James Murphy. To celebrate, we’ve compiled five essential videos that convey this mind.

James Murphy lecture at Red Bull Music Academy

James Murphy is one the greatest musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers of the last decade. He is also one of the funniest, most interesting and articulate subjects to interview. This lecture, recorded at the Red Bull Music Academy earlier this year, is a rare chance to see an extended discussion with the man, where he talks about everything from his family life to the nitty-gritty details of the rotary mixer he’s developing.
James Murphy on DJing

In an age of the prissy megastar EDM DJ, it’s always worth remembering Murphy’s Law. “I think every DJ should be forced to be in a punk band for a year. ‘Cause DJing, next to video game tester, might be the most ridiculous, simplest, easiest, most overpaid job on the planet.”
James Murphy, DJing

…yet despite that attitude, Murphy is also a formidable DJ himself, as anybody who has seen him on one of his various DJ tours or listened to his FabricLive mix with Pat Mahoney can attest. This Boiler Room mix, recorded earlier this year, shows off his skills on the, ahem, wheels of steel.
LCD Soundsystem – Throw (Live At Glasgow Barrowlands)

There’s a moment in Shut Up And Play The Hits where James talks about how, in the early days of the band, it was essential that they toured in clubs, rather than in the usual gig/show environment. Why? Because they want people to dance. A fixation with the dancefloor is no more evident than in their cover of Carl Craig’s beautifully repetitious, hypnotic ‘Throw’, captured by a fan at Glasgow’s Barrowlands in the shadow of legendary clubnight Optimo’s demise.
5. Nancy Whang – The Nancy Show

Whilst LCD Soundsystem is the brainchild of James Murphy first and foremost, credit must be given to Nancy Whang, Gunnar Bjerk, Gavin Russom, Pat Mahoney and the rest of the DFA extended family. This bizarre and hilarious clip of Nancy Whang’s ‘The Nancy Show’ shows just how much fun being a member of this family must be.